“…Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”

Sink, Float or Swim

Stand with me on the shore of a lake.Look at the water’s edge as it laps upon the shore.How does the water look? Is it crystal clear and beautiful? No – it’s muddy, murky and dark.Step into the water.Feel the silt as it stirs and watch as the water grows even dirtier.You’re now ankle-deep in dirty, muddy water. Do you back-up and go to stand on the shore, dragging the dirt from the water with you?Or, do you step out further, into the clear, still waters in the middle?

Keep walking.With each step you take, the water grows clearer and it creeps ever upward. Eventually, you come to a point where you must choose to keep your feet n the bottom of the lake and consequently allow the water to cover your head.This choice inevitably leads to drowning.You can lift your feet and keep your head above the water and just float.This choice leaves you floating at the mercy of the current.You might end up at your destination or you might end up back on the shore.You can also dive in, soak yourself from head-to-toe in this water, now crystal-clear, and swim even further out.

In life, we face these choices as well – sometimes on a daily basis.Initially, the situation looks murky.We can’t see where we are headed.Occasionally, we even make it worse and it looks even more uncertain.But, as we progress, the situation sometimes grows clearer.We see the situation in a different light as we move further away from the things that cloud our vision.

Finally, we get to the point where we must decide – sink, keep your head above water, or keep going. To sink is to give up, to not even bother trying.There are times that we are in situations where just giving up seems like the best choice, the only choice.Even if we choose to fight just enough to keep our head above water, we are still at the mercy of our circumstances.We drift along, uncertain of where we will end up.However, when we dive in and swim, we draw closer with each stroke towards the goal.

In Philippians 3:12-14, we read: “I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.”Paul is speaking about a specific situation, but this can be translated to the choice to sink, float or swim as well.

Are you sinking into a mire of depression or inertia regarding a specific situation?Or, are you just keeping your head above water, with no specific direction?Ask God to help you dive in and swim – in His strength.